Before beginning, please note the following:
Only 2 door latch designs are used on the DeLorean. The driver side front and passenger side rear are the same (Part # 101666). The passenger side front and driver side rear are the same (Part # 101665).
Only remove 1 latch at a time, starting with a front latch (the easier one)
Take pictures and make note of which lever and which locating hole each rod goes into as there are multiple locations on each latch.
There are 2 bellcranks in each door. The upper bellcrank is referred to as the latch bellcrank. The lower bellcrank is referred to as the lock bellcrank and has the electrical contacts for the electric door lock as well as the third lock rod to the outer keyed lock cylinder.
Removing the blockers allows the locks to be operated with doors opened or closed and puts less stress on the rod adjustments, helping to eliminate binding.
If the front latch rod is a nonadjustable version, it is recommended to replace it with an adjustable one during this procedure (Part # 110074). A quantity of 2 may be needed, 1 for each door.
Before closing the door, make certain both latches are in the open position (see photos below):
Removing the Latches From the Car:
Disconnect the door lock module multi-connector and brown power wire.
Remove upper and lower door panels.
Free up membrane for access.
Disconnect latch rod from upper bellcrank.
Disconnect lock rod from lower bellcrank.
From front of door remove 3 large Phillips-Head screws (save for reassembly) holding latch assembly to door.
You now can maneuver the latch out of the door. This may require some trial and error.
Cutting out the Latch Blockers:
Once out of the door, move the latch to the work bench and clamp the lower corner in a vice (see photo below). Do not damage threads.
Looking down from top of the latch you can see the locking pawl (a thick strong wire rod) above the blocker. If you push back on the white plastic piece above the wire pawl you can move the pawl out of the way and begin cutting out the blocker. (See photo below)
Using a Dremel tool (see photos below), carefully begin cutting out the plastic blocker. You can also do this with a sharp razor blade such as an Exacto knife. Go slowly so you don’t damage any of the mechanisms.
Clean out all of the shavings. Brake clean and compressed air work well for this. Lightly lube with a thin spray lubricant such as WD-40. Do not use a heavy grease as this collects and holds dirt and dust.
Install both lock and latch rods into their original lever position on the latch and maneuver the latch back into position inside the door and secure with original screws. The front and rear lock rods can be installed with the latch mounted in the door but the latch rod must be in place on the latch before installing. Reconnect both rods to the proper bellcrank. The front lock rods have a guide clip (Part # SP10706) which must be installed.
You can now repeat this process on the rear latch.
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